Sao Paulo has authentic air

SAO PAULO -- Even for a first-timer, travelling to South America's biggest city evokes a certain deja vu.

Sao Paulo, the heart of big business in South America, can come across like Toronto -- a serious, hurried place where everyone is running late.

Tourists, some say, are better to visit Rio de Janeiro -- more of a party-happy South American version of Vancouver.

Business truly is what Sao Paulo is all about. Around its financial district, office and hotel towers stretch across the horizon, creating first impressions of Sao Paulo's economic might and of a concrete jungle.

There's truth to both. But no city could grow this big (18 million, metro area) or old (454 years since its founding as a village) without having more than commerce going for it.

Sao Paulo's charm is, oddly for one of the world's biggest cities, its Brazilian sense of isolation and independence. Tourists seem to find themselves in the city by accident, not because of a well-funded promotional machine.

As a result, the city doesn't make it easy to visit. Many attractions are closed on certain days of the week, or mornings. Few staff at attractions or in malls speak English.

On the other hand, Sao Paulo has an air of authenticity. You won't find tacky souvenir stands here. Paulistanos suggest visitors take their city or leave it for what it is.

What it is, is a multicultural blend of history, art and, in pockets, nature.

MASP, the city's best-known art gallery, is found in the heart of the financial district on Paulista Avenue. Architecturally, it's designed like a warehouse on stilts. The collection is impressive -- from Brazilian artists to French and Italian and several Picasso pieces. And at 15 reais (about $10) to enter, it's a great place to beat the rain.

Across the street is Trianon Park -- a two-city-block breath of fresh air inside the gridlock. It was created a century ago as a showpiece for indigenous vegetation. New trees were planted as part of a major renovation in 1968. In the heart of the forest, only the dim sounds of traffic remind visitors they're in a megalopolis.

The real gem of Sao Paulo is the one guidebooks warn travellers about. Centro, the city's old downtown, is where the city shows its real character. Block after block of 80- to 100-year-old buildings tell a story of Sao Paulo's swagger in the early 20th century, when it asserted itself as South America's commerce hub. Be warned, though, that parts of Centro are seedy and abundant with thieves.

One skyscraper, the white Banespa building, is striking for its smaller-scale similarity to the Empire State Building, after which it was modeled in 1947. It's free to take the two elevators and short flight of stairs to the top for the best view of the city.

The Theatro Municipal in Centro is probably the best architecture in the city. Modeled after the Paris Opera, it's adorned garishly in gold trim, sculptures, busts and friezes, both outside and inside. You can't get inside without a ticket, but some events are cheap and undersold.

A ticket to hear Sao Paulo's orchestra -- or just to check out the interior of Theatro Municipal -- costs a paltry 15 reais, or about $10. Sao Paulo isn't a cheap city to visit -- but some of the best sights are ridiculously inexpensive.

Sao Paulo's rejuvenation of Centro is a work in progress. Carefully restored banks and residences can be found next to graffiti-covered lowrises without windows.

The Sao Paulo State art gallery, called Pinacoteca do Estado, is one such strange juxtaposition. On Centro's rough northern edge, the 103-year-old brick building was restored a decade ago. The centre of the three-storey gallery is lit naturally through a wide atrium that gives a different aspect to strategically placed sculptures depending on the time of day you visit.

The gallery, which costs only about $3 to enter, has both a collection of Brazil's best painters as well as temporary exhibitions. As with MASP, art and nature co-exist at Pinacoteca. The neighbourhood is dingy, but for beautiful Luz Park. Fountains, streams of large brightly coloured fish and a canopy of subtropical trees complement the gallery next door.

Central Sao Paulo's largest park, Ibirapuera, fashions itself after New York's Central Park. Art museums, a Japanese pavilion and garden, monuments, an Afro-Brazil museum and planetarium are located among woodlands and along a lake. The park's attractions, however, are closed Mondays.

Brazil's growing economic strength has caused its real gain against the Canadian dollar. However the loonie is still worth about $1.70 here, giving Canadian travellers a steep discount.

IF YOU GO

- Learn some Portuguese. Unlike most of South America, Spanish isn't spoken here. In most malls and restaurants, English isn't either.

- Stick to taxis and the subway to get around. Taxis are cheap, but drivers generally speak no English. The subway is safe during daylight, but doesn't cover much of the city. Sao Paulo's streets are a tangle of winding avenues that change names. They're best left to the experts.

- Try the local cuisine. Check out a churrascaria, which is a barbecued meat binge. Waiters bring you dozen different cuts of meat in procession to your table -- unless you wave them off. Street vendors sell a pastry called pastel, which is a pocket of beef, cheese or vegetables.

- Leave the clubs at home. In a city of 18 million, Sao Paulo has few golf courses.

- Expect unexpected weather. Southern Brazil's hills and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean result in the weather changing suddenly from heat to downpour and back to heat again. Southern Brazil's temperatures can hit freezing, however, during its winter months of July and August.

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